Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116930, on Dstl: Newcastle upon Tyne, what the budget of the Science and Technology Experimentation Hub will be; what proportion of the £6.6 billion investment will be spent outside the Greater South East; and who the innovation partners are that that hub will partner with.

The Spending Review 2020 provided a ring fenced £6.6 billion minimum investment in Defence Research and Development for the four years of the settlement. Defence is committed to continue increasing its R&D footprint outside the Greater South East, as explained within the Levelling Up White Paper,. This also forms part of the implementation of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.

Dstl Newcastle is a new, strategically located S&T Hub specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. It will allow Dstl to recruit and develop local expertise, and enhance its ability to access skills and expertise within Industry and Academia across the North East. Locally based innovation organisations such as the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD) and the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), will support Dstl's objectives by enhancing its understanding of the opportunities offered by innovation in data both in the North East and across the country.

The Dstl Newcastle Hub does not have a separate budget to that of its parent Division within Dstl; it will provide an additional route by which Dstl will deliver investment in AI and Data Science over the next four years.